Marketing conundrums - Part 3

"Embrace the ambiguity" is my new mantra. Still, sometimes a little cynicism can be instructive, don't you think? Our third installment of Marketing Conundrums is focused on contradictions that might be useful to ponder. 

• Everybody wants to be a rockstar, but nobody wants to learn to play the guitar.
• Everybody insists that digital marketing is more measurable, but nobody agrees on what metrics to use.
• Everybody invites you to the conversation, but nobody wants to listen.
• Everybody wants to go viral, but nobody cares about ease of use.
• Everybody wants to consult, but nobody wants to execute.
• Everybody wants you to subscribe, but nobody wants to reciprocate.
• Everybody wants to reinvent marketing, but nobody wants to market.
• Everybody wants a fanbase, but nobody wants to earn it.
• Everybody agrees that inbound is the way to go, but nobody wants to give up email blasts.
• Everybody says that social media is democratizing, but nobody ignores the A-List.
• Everybody wants to be trusted, but nobody respects your privacy.
• Everybody wants change, but nobody knows why.
• Everybody insists on relevancy, but nobody will ask what's relevant to you.
• Everybody wants persuasive content marketing, but nobody will stop writing for machines.
• Everybody wants transparency, but nobody is open about their intentions.
• Everybody knows exactly where the world is going, but nobody can find their own way.
• Everybody wants to disrupt, but nobody wants to integrate.
• Everybody wants to be creative, but nobody wants to pay their dues.
• Everybody wants to dish out criticism, but nobody can take it.
• Everybody wants pull marketing, but nobody wants to stop pushing.
• Everybody wants to tear down, but nobody wants to build up.
• Everybody demands authenticity, but nobody wants to stop worshiping the fake.
• Everybody wants to predict the future, but nobody wants to understand the past.
• Everybody wants great buzz, but nobody wants PR.
• Everybody wants the proven, but nobody will give up the popular.
• Everybody wants to influence, but nobody wants to be influenced.
• Everybody wants to be unique, but nobody wants to be different.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these (or any) Marketing Conundrums.

Comments

[Anne Marsden]

I love this! So true - we sit around complaining about lack of impact or effectiveness. Or lack of budget and resources, or lack of C-Suite support. Mostly we need to turn the mirror around, get off our butts and do the hard stuff - not just the fun stuff.
I wrote a blog piece on a similar theme: The 80/20 of B2B Marketing – It’s the “How” not the “What”. http://bit.ly/4kvx7u

And the list goes on... and on... and on Good start.